


thank you.

by yourwifesboyfriend



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 4
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Indirect confession, Mild Hurt/Comfort, mostly fluff though dw, they’re really soft man they make me :)!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24107437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourwifesboyfriend/pseuds/yourwifesboyfriend
Summary: frey has been through a lot to save selphia. but no matter how hard she's had it, there's always been one person she knew she could rely on to take her pain away.
Relationships: Clorica/Frey (Rune Factory)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> so basically, everyone is gay in rf4 bc i said so and its what they deserve. marvelous won’t give it to me so i must do all the work.

Being a princess was probably the type of thing Frey wished for when she was a child. To be revered and respected by many sounded like a dream, especially when paired with the idea that all she'd have to do all day is sing to birds and twirl around in pretty dresses. Any young child would think that suddenly being declared the number one member of royalty to an entire town sounds like paradise. Gods, if only they knew.

The amount of times that Frey has wanted nothing more than to sit down and give up is unreal. She smiles to give everyone hope, she fights for them and protects this place she's come to love so dearly, yet every night when she hugs herself with her blankets in a futile attempt to ease away the permanent exhaustion she considers what might happen if she just... stopped. If she woke up the next day and didn't go out to the Lava Ruins or Leon Karnak or the freaking Forest of Beginnings to fulfill the epic quests bestowed upon her. If all she did was tend to her farm in the morning then spend the rest of her day doing whatever she pleased. Maybe she could actually hang back and talk to her friends for once. It's been so long since she could just stand around and have a real conversation for more than two minutes. When you're constantly on the go, it feels like a sin to not be doing something every waking hour of the day.

Some mornings she comes awfully close to giving this fantasy of her's a shot. She wakes up with a painful yearning for the perfect world she's created in her dreams. A world where she could skip forward a few chapters in her life, pick a line to start on, and set foot into a new day without having had to go through all of the conflicts and rising actions. If she could just stay asleep and live out this ideal life in her head, then why bother to get up? Real life wasn't nearly as forgiving. And, some mornings, all she wanted was for the universe to show her mercy. So how _did_ she get herself out of bed on those days? How did she walk outside with a refreshed determination when hardly an hour ago everything around her was grey? 

Well the answer to that is actually quite simple. Frey found a new color to paint over the dull blacks and whites with. A new face to smile at her in her thoughts when she was battered and bruised and gasping for those last bits of life trying to escape her lungs. A new voice to tell her that she could do it not just because she needed to, but because the owner of the angelic tones knew she was strong enough for any challenge placed in front of her. And the best part of it all was the irony. 

Frey was being kept awake by someone who couldn't even manage to do so herself. 

"Goood morning..." Once again that familiar voice— the voice of her favorite shade of purple and of the drowsy smile that made her feel alive again— stirred Frey from her sleep. As the princess yawned her way into the realm of consciousness she could hear her butler do the same, causing the corners of her mouth to tilt up by the time it closed. Frey rolled over so she could face Clorica and watch her soft features beam down at her in return. "Did you sleep well? I know I did..."

This time her behavior got a little giggle from Frey who continued to admire the other female as she tried to rub the permanent sleep from her deep golden eyes. Or at least, they looked like gold to Frey. Her eyes held the same dull shimmer as the coins she kept in her pocket. "I'm glad. Maybe that means you'll be able to stay awake a little longer today." 

Clorica pouted at that. "Only a little?"

"Yep! That actually sounds like it could happen, doesn’t it?" Frey teased. Did she notice that she never answered her question? "I'll be rooting for you!" To emphasize the lighthearted teasing, she lazily raised a fist in the air in a punch she gave up on before it even begun. This time she got the pleasure of Clorica letting out a quiet laugh of her own. There was nothing Frey loved more than Clorica's laugh. Not just the sound of it, but also the way it lit up her entire face that was normally so slack from her sleepiness. If she stayed home, then maybe Clorica would sit with her and laugh until Frey felt okay again. At this thought Frey's smile became a bit more wry in nature before she turned on to her back and laid an arm across her heavy eyes. What she would give to make that wish come true. She knew that the best way to show Clorica how much she cared was to get up and get her ass in gear, but that did nothing to stop her body from falling victim to its cravings.

Clorica said nothing for a moment. She watched Frey shift around and quickly caught on to the dimness in her mood. By now she was pretty familiar with Frey's morning patterns. Contrary to what one may think, she had "down" days so much more often than she had "up" ones. It began a few months ago and only seemed to worsen each time she fell into one of her ruts. Clorica always insisted that she go to Jones to see if there was anything he could do for her, but Frey would wave off the idea and tell her that just her presence was more than enough. Of course Clorica didn't mind being there for her. She would do anything to keep Frey happy not only as her princess, but as her dear friend. Her only issue was how much it broke her heart to know that Frey was suffering so terribly on the behalf of Selphia. 

Both of them have been silent for quite some time, and it wasn't until Clorica sat herself down on the edge of the bed that either of them decided to speak again. Frey's lips parted but then she seemed to second guess herself and sealed them shut again. Since it looked like she was having a hard time, Clorica went ahead and went first. "Do you have any plans? For me.. I think... I'll make some pie today." She mused, her voice so gentle that she was already slipping into the cracks of Frey’s walls and breaking them down.

"Yeah...?"

"Mhm. I'll bake an apple pie later on... then I'll come over and give some to you." At this Clorica could see Frey's lips twitch as they struggled to smile instead of dip into a frown. The next silence that settled over them was shorter, and this time Clorica allowed Frey to have another shot at voicing herself.

It started with a sigh so subtle that Clorica wouldn't have caught it if the room wasn't so still. "What if I'm not home? I... probably won't be."

"But you will be, eventually." The butler urged. "I know it. You always come home." Her eyes, which she was trying so hard to keep open, flittered to the hand at the end of the arm still draped across the princess’s face. She had seen it tighten a little at her words, then relax just as quickly. 

"It will be really late by the time I make it. Too late for you to be waiting for me. I do always get home, but...” A shuddery breath interjected itself into her statement before she could continue. “But within this past week it feels like I haven't slept more than a couple nights. It feels like I never came home at all." Gradually Frey was opening up for her. Clorica knew how much she hated burdening other people with her issues when she was supposed to be their perfect hero. Over these many days she's been confiding in her more and more, and Clorica never expresses regret for listening. 

"That doesn't matter." Clorica's reply was as firm as her gentle voice could be. "Tonight.. I'll wait for you. And then together we can eat a few slices of pie. I'll make some hot milk to wash it down with and then... then I'll make sure you sleep. Really sleep. So then tomorrow you can wake up feeling a little more rested."

Frey's hand clenched again, and this time it was accompanied with a wobble of her lips. "A little, huh?" Was the only thing she could conjure up with her tightened voice.

"Yes... doesn't that sound like it could actually happen?" She scooted a little closer, feeling the strangest sensation in her chest when the laugh that bubbled out of Frey faltered almost instantly. Now the princess bit down roughly on her lip, and it was at this point that Clorica's hand ventured over to her. It gave a gentle push on her arm, moving it out of the way to reveal Frey's eyes glistening with the tears she wanted to resist. "Oh, Frey..." Clorica nearly whispered. Then, without thinking, she let her fingers brush down her cheek. That did it. Slowly the tears began to trickle down the pretty face Clorica had become so fond of looking at. There was that feeling again... A feeling of a sadness she couldn't describe or compare to anything else. An ache so deep that it almost physically hurt. 

"Will you... really wait for me..? C-Can I come home and see you here..? Just for me...?" Frey squeezed her eyes shut, pushing out even more of the delicate tears that Clorica so badly wanted to just wipe away so she could see her smile. But she knew she couldn't. She knew Frey wasn't capable of smiling all the time. She knew she wished that were true and she knew that Frey never wanted anyone to see her be so vulnerable. Yet she had grown to trust Clorica enough to let her see these parts of her, a fact that made the female's heart thud in her chest in the midst of her concern. 

"I will... I'll wait right here for you." Clorica found herself coming even closer to Frey until she was sitting right beside her. Frey noticed this as well, but instead of commenting on it she wrapped her arms around her from where she was laying and pressed her face into her side. "I'll always be waiting for you. Even if you don't get back until morning and even if you tell me not to. I will never stop being here for you to come home to."

Tears that had begun as soft sniffles were quickly becoming much more. Frey didn't know how much she needed this until this very moment in which it was already happening. She loved Clorica. So much. It overwhelmed her body and made her shake ever so slightly as her cries grew louder. Now the butler had gone silent, but she knew it wasn't for a bad reason. Dainty fingers tentatively grazed the top of her head before beginning to comb through one of her tousled ponytails. The touch was sweet; so deliciously sweet that she almost felt like she didn’t deserve it. And, in a way, she knew that was true. Clorica was so charming and perfect in every way imaginable. No matter how many times she conked out in front of the castle or how often she got sidetracked because she completely forgot her original goal, Frey would never see her as anything less than wonderful. Day and night she looked at Clorica only to find that she was still the beautiful girl that comforted her during these awful mornings. 

And Frey wouldn’t have her any other way.

Quite some time seemed to pass before Frey could get a hold of herself. By now she would hardly have enough time to tend to her monsters _and_ properly check up on her fields if she wanted to have goods to put in the shipping box, but honestly? She didn’t really care. Nearly half an hour ago she was so determined to start living out a normal life, however now the truth had begun to dawn on her. She didn’t just want a normal life. Frey wanted a life where she had a real home to return to. And anywhere was home so long as Clorica was in it.

As Frey’s sniffles came to a slow but steady stop, she gradually loosened her hold on Clorica until she felt she could fully pull away. While she wiped at her puffy eyes she could already feel her mood lifting as the weight beside her became more prominent. This time when Frey turned on to her side she found herself face to face with her butler, whose drowsiness had finally tempted her into the soft mattress she was on top of. Low lidded eyes stared back at her, secretly wondering how Frey still looked so good after sobbing her heart out. 

"Frey..." Clorica’s sleepy voice ventured after the two of them had gotten properly settled.

Just that was enough to make Frey’s insides melt. What she would give to have Clorica saying her name on repeat. "Yeah?"

"What else do you want to do when you come home? Surely we can't just have pie all the time." It was an innocent question that Frey knew she shouldn’t read too much into. Especially not when Clorica was practically sleep talking. But knowing wasn’t enough to stop her from falling even harder down the steepest slope she’s ever encountered. Unable to help herself, Frey let a hand rise and allowed her fingertips to gently graze Clorica’s soft cheek. The other seemed to approve of the notion, rewarding her with a satisfied hum that merely encouraged Frey to go the full mile and cup the side of her face. A thumb ran across Clorica’s cheekbone and, again, she appeared to be nothing but happy with the interaction.

"You're right...” Frey mumbled eventually. Before she could speak she had to remind herself how to breathe. “I think my first order of business would be to keep you by my side forever.”

There was a light chuckle, one of those ones that got Frey wondering if it would be a crime to kiss her right then and there, that preceded her support of the idea. "I wouldn’t mind that. Sounds nice...”

Frey bit her lip to stop herself from _actually_ kissing her. "That’s good. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Here she wiggled a couple inches closer to Clorica. The movement spurred her to crack open her eyes, which ended up widening when Frey suddenly leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. A faint blush dusted itself across her face... but it was clear that she didn’t dislike it. Frey’s mouth pulled up into a warm smile before her own eyes fluttered shut. “I owe you a lot, Clorica. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Whatever you need just say it and I’ll be there... but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully express my gratitude. Even so...” Frey’s lids parted to let her look at Clorica once again and she swore her face was even closer than before. She could feel the gentle puffs of her breath fanning out against her skin. She could see the glimmer of a curious anticipation in her otherwise sleep-ridden gaze. Frey had to take another deep breath, reminding herself to stay on track, then whispered the words meant specially for Clorica. 

“Thank you. Thank you for everything you do for me and for being here when I need it. Thank you for your patience. Thank you... for giving me a reason to keep coming home.” Frey’s voice was barely audible but Clorica could hear her loud and clear. The warmth in her tone made her heart swell in a way she couldn’t stand. Her skin tingled wherever Frey touched it, and before she knew it those hands were holding more than just her face. Frey had tried so hard to resist, yet when Clorica had stared at her in such awe of her appreciation she finally cracked. Her hands were on her shoulders and in her hair. Lips played a shy game of chase as both of them fell victim to the pounding in their chests and the peaceful atmosphere filling the space between them. 

Frey was in love with Clorica. And she could feel it in the way her kisses grew more fervent and how she clutched at the front of her nightgown; could see it in her flushed face whenever they pulled apart for air. Clorica loved her too. And Frey could not be anymore grateful.

**Author's Note:**

> https://youtu.be/JKouNZOkD5o  
> it wasn’t originally inspired by this song but i started thinking about it halfway through and it really fits! never forget the little things. you dont need a pretty girl to smooch in bed to remind yourself that there’s still good out there, and it’s that good that you should live for


End file.
